The STW Blind Services Department

Related terms:	Podfic
See also:	Sound Tape, Tape Zine
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The STW Blind Services Department was a service run by The Star Trek Welcommittee.

A Piece of the Action #47 (1977) thanks three fans for donating 150 reel and cassette tapes to this service.

About

In recent years, the Star Trek Welcommittee has recognized the need of blind fans to have access to the wealth of fanzines and other Star Trek publications available to the sighted. STW operates a circulating library of ST zines and books on magnetic tape for those unable to read conventionally printed material. Through the STW Blind Services Department, blind fans can obtain recored fanzines and books, can request information about Star Trek and ST fandom, and they receive answers in Braille, large type, or on tape. But STW cannot provide these services without the help of all Star Trek fans. We urgently need editors to provided inkprint copies of their fanzines so that we can make recorded copies available to blind fans free of charge. The Blind Services Dept. also needs people to help read ST materials on tape. We need donations of tapes and funds to purchase badly needed equipment and materials for the circulating library. If any Scuttlebutt reader would like to help by donating fanzines, tapes, or operating funds, or if you would like to volunteer as a reader, please contact us. We look for and look forward to a good response from the hard-core fans who enjoy this zine.

Struggling

This fan service struggled to get off the ground and remain viable. In 1978, there was this announcement:

BLIND SERVICES UPDATE: Scores of socially conscious STAR TREK fans have volunteered their help in recording ST materials for the blind. However, we simply do not have enough tapes to to around at this time. Our goal is to provide services to any visually handicapped fan who desires them, and we want to provide these services as efficiently as possible. In order to meet these goals, we must have more tapes, more reading material, and funds to purchase badly needed equipment and supplies. We also need someone with tape duplication equipment who will produce copies of our master recordings, if you or your club would like to contribute, please write us at our new address...

Similar Fan Services

• The Eyes of Beauty Project (Beauty and the Beast, ~1989)
• The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (Star Trek-focus, 1970s)
• Project Communicator (Star Trek, 1974-1976)
• The STW Blind Services Department (Star Trek, 1970s)
• Starmerian Taping Service (Star Trek-focus, ~1976)
• The Zine-Taping Service for Blind and Print Handicapped Readers (multi-fandom, 1992)